LAHORE: In a ground-breaking move, the Punjab School Education Department has introduced new subject groups for the matriculation examination, giving students expanded options beyond the traditional science and arts streams.
Secretary School Education Punjab, Khalid Naeem Wattoo, announced that students can now opt for subjects like health sciences, agriculture, information technology (IT) and entrepreneurship.
This initiative marks the first time in 70 years that the education system in Pakistan has undergone such a significant overhaul. The new groups aim to adapt the curriculum to international standards and offer students more practical and career-oriented opportunities.
“We have introduced four new groups: agriculture, IT, fashion design and health sciences. Students will be taught practical, with 30 marks allocated to theory and 40 marks to practical,” Wattoo told Pakinomist news on Tuesday.
The introduction of these new groups will not require the hiring of additional teachers, he said. Instead, existing teachers will receive training to adapt to the modern curriculum.
“We have teachers who are engineers and computer teachers are already in place. We will train our current staff to meet the requirements of these new subjects,” explained Wattoo.
The total grade for the matriculation exam remains at 1,100, where the new subjects are integrated within the existing framework.
Students choose their subject groups at the beginning of ninth grade so that they can focus on their chosen fields throughout their secondary education.
